The United States decided to halt more than $20 million in aid to East Jerusalem hospitals days after its decision to completely stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The latest move was made despite the opposition of Christian groups that support some of the medical centers there. The American decision affects the Augusta Victoria Hospital, an ancient church hospital near Mount Hermon and St. John’s Eye Hospital, one of the most specialized hospitals for eye diseases in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The $25 million for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network will instead go toward other “priorities” in the Middle East, a US State Department source said. Palestinian officials slammed the US decision. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Ahmed Majdalani interpreted as another American move aimed at pressuring the Palestinians. “This administration has become an official partner with the occupation in imposing the siege," he stressed. He also accused Washington of "fighting" the Palestinians "in humanitarian affairs." As US President Donald Trump’s administration and the Israeli occupation feign concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, their political game has been exposed after they targeted Jerusalem’s hospitals, he noted. Majdalani stressed that the Palestinian Authority "will not abandon the hospitals of the capital (Jerusalem) and will make sure they maintain their operation to provide medical services to the Palestinians.” Majdalani also called on the European Union to compensate the funding cuts by Trump’s administration. Member of the PLO executive committee Hanan Ashrawi, for her part, condemned Washington’s decision and said it was part of an "organized attack." A statement by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the cut was part of a US attempt “to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” adding that it threatens the lives of thousands of Palestinians and the livelihoods of thousands of hospital employees. “This dangerous and unjustified American escalation has crossed all red lines and is considered a direct aggression against the Palestinian people,” the statement added.